'Halalisa Goes Broadway: Songs from Stage and Screen' Set for Follen Community Church

The Halalisa Singers, a world music choral ensemble presents Halalisa Goes Broadway: Songs from Stage and Screen, on Sunday May 1, 4 pm at St. John's Episcopal Church, 1 Roanoke Avenue, Jamaica Plain, and on Friday, May 6, 8 pm, Follen Community Church, 755 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington. The ensemble is led by Artistic Director Mary Cunningham and accompanied by Trevor Berens, piano, Bertram Lehmann, percussion and Jason Davis, bass.

Halalisa Goes Broadway: Songs from Stage and Screen, delivers a delightful collection of beloved music from stage musicals and major motion picture movies, with an eclectic combined sound that will leave audience members feeling like they've traveled the world! Straight from the stages of Tony Award winners and the world's most famous theatre district, the music of renowned musicals includes "Magic to Do" from Pippin, the title song from the hit show Cabaret, "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music, plus newer favorites "For Good" and "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. Take a trip down memory lane with all-time classics including choruses and solos from Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables and The Lion King. Crossing the fence to the movie/musical arena, "The Journey Home" and "Shakalaka Baby" from Bombay Dreams and "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire. Solos and an audience sing along with selections from The Sound of Music round out a beautiful concert experience.

The Halalisa Singers are dedicated to the performance of music across all cultures and nationalities. Halalisa is a Zulu word for "celebration," and in that spirit, the Halalisa repertoire includes African, Latin, American Spiritual, Gospel, Jewish, Folk, and Jazz music. A talented group of thirty men and women, the Halalisa Singers are inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite us all. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham, this Lexington-based vocal ensemble is now in its 23rd year offering unique performances in the Boston area. The Halalisa Singers have been featured performers at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Revels' RiverSing, Winchester Multicultural Network, Lexington Symphony, Refugee Immigration Ministry's Annual International Concert, Arlington's Regent Theater Multicultural Concert, the Belmont International Film Festival and the ACDA's "Urban Initiatives" Multicultural Concert.

Now in her thirteenth year as Artistic Director of the Halalisa Singers, Mary Cunningham leads the ensemble in performing an ever-widening repertoire. With their special sound and mission, the Halalisa Singers have been sought after to perform at multicultural and diversity events, benefit concerts and at international festivals in the Northeast and Europe. Cunningham earned her Masters in Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music after degree training at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She is known in the Boston area as an active conductor, vocalist, and flute soloist. She currently serves as the Choir Director at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the UU Musicians Network. A frequent performer with the Christmas Revels, Mary is on the faculty of the Powers Music School in Belmont, and has a private teaching studio in Lexington.

Tickets purchased in advance are $15 for adults, $12 for students and senior citizens online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets purchased at the door are $18 for adults, $15 for students and senior citizens. For more information about Halalisa Singers, visit www.halalisa.org, or follow us on Facebook.

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